2008 Honda Civic

THE AIR CONDITIONER IS NO LONGER BLOWING ANY COLD AIR. WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THAT THE AIR COMPRESSOR NEEDS TO BE REPLACED, ALONG WITH THE COILS, AND A/C CLUTCH ENGAGEMENT FOR THE AIR COMPRESSOR. VEHICLE IS ONLY 5 YEARS OLD AND THERE IS NO EXTENDED WARRANTY TO COVER THE COST OF REPLACING THE AIR COMPRESSOR. DISCUSSED WITH SEVERAL MECHANICS IN MY AREA AND HAVE SEEN FORUM DISCUSSIONS POSTED THAT HAVE SIMILAR ISSUES AND HAVE LISTED IT AS A "KNOWN ISSUE" BUT HONDA HAS NOT FORMALLY ACKNOWLEDGED. PREVIOUSLY I HAVE OWNED A 1997 HONDA CIVIC WITH ALL ORIGINAL PARTS AND IT DID NOT HAVE SUCH AN ISSUE. I HAVE ALSO SUBMITTED A DIRECT COMPLAINT TO HONDA REGARDING MY DEFECTIVE AIR COMPRESSOR. *TR

AFTER 51,000+ MILES, THE RIGHT ENGINE MOTOR MOUNT ON MY 2008 HONDA CIVIC 2-DOOR COUPE FAILED. THE ENGINE VIBRATED WHEN THE ENGINE WAS COLD OR WHEN I FIRST STARTED IT IN THE MORNING. THERE WERE MINIMAL PROBLEMS AFTER THE ENGINE WARMED UP. TWO REPAIR SHOPS SAID THE MOTOR MOUNT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE REPAIR SHOP REPLACED THE MOUNT WITH A NEW ONE FROM THE HONDA DEALERSHIP IN THE AREA. HE SAID THE DEALERSHIP HAD SOME IN STOCK, WHICH HE SAID WAS HIGHLY UNUSUAL BECAUSE THESE MOUNTS ARE VERY EXPENSIVE. THE PARTS PERSON AT THE DEALERSHIP DID NOT EVEN HAVE TO LOOK UP THE PART NUMBER, HE KNEW EXACTLY WHAT WAS NEEDED. BOTH OF THESE SUGGEST THAT THIS IS NOT AN UNCOMMON PROBLEM, AND THE HONDA REPLACEMENT PART HAS BEEN REDESIGNED. I HAVE NEVER HAD TO REPLACE A MOTOR MOUNT ON ANY OF THE CARS I HAVE OWNED IN THE LAST 45+ YEARS. ALL OF THE ABOVE INFORMATION I HAVE PROVIDED INDICATES TO ME THAT THE MOUNT IS DEFECTIVE AND SHOULD BE RECALLED BY HONDA. *TR

THIS SUMMER, FROM THE MONTH OF MAY ONWARDS, I FELT DIFFICULT IN BREATHING, BLURRED VISION AND SOMETIMES A SUDDEN CHEST PAIN WHILE DRIVING MY CIVIC WITH AC RUNNING, IT BLEW COOL BUT NOT COLD AIR, AND THERE WERE MANY INSTANCES THAT I ALMOST FELL OFF AND MY BODY BECAME OFF BALANCE WHILE WALKING AROUND AFTER DRIVING THE CIVIC. AT FIRST, I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE I AM GETTING OLD, 46YRS. BUT. LATER , I FOUND OUT THAT THERE IS A FREON LEAK WITHIN THE CAR WHEN AC IS ENGAGED . A TIF 5000 DETECTOR WAS USED TO CHECK AND CONFIRM THE PRESENT OF R134A IN THE COOL AIR INSIDE THE CIVIC. THE CHECK WAS CARRIED OUT UNDER CONDITION THAT AC SYSTEM IS BLOWING CLOSED CIRCULATIUON AIR WITHIN THE CAR. I FELT THAT THIS TYPE OF INCIDENT MIGHT POST A GREATER RISK OF AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENTS FOR ELDERLY DRIVERS AS THE R134A, FREON, IS POISONOUS AND ONCE THE DRIVERS UNAWARE OF ITS PRESENT AND INHALE IT AND PHYSICALLY LOSE CONTROL OF THEIR VEHICLES. ESPECIALLY ELDERLY ONES ARE MORE VULNERABLE AND ACCIDENTS HAPPEN. THERE ARE MANY ACCIDENTS MIGHT BE DUE TO THIS TYPE OF AC DEFECT. THE PUBLIC OR THE INVESTIGATORS MAY HAVE NOT REALIZED THIS IS ONE OF THE POSSIBLE CAUSES OF ACCIDENTS, AS THE CRASHES MAY HAVE PHYSICALLY DESTROY ALL THE EVIDENCES OF DEFECTIVE AC SYSTEM. I HOPE YOU WILL LOOK INTO THIS PROBLEM. NOT ONLY HONDA AUTOMOBILES BUT ALL CARS IN THE USA. *TR

I HAVE A 2008 HONDA CIVIC, THE A/C WORKS INTERMITTENTLY, SOMETIMES IT COOLS SOMETIMES IT DOES NOT. I HAVE IT CHECKED BY A DEALERSHIP AND A FIRESTONE SHOP, THEY SAID THE 'FREON' LEVEL AND PRESSURE IS OK AND BOTH RECOMMENDED REPLACING THE COMPRESSOR, ETC. IF THE COMPRESSOR IS BROKEN THEN WHY DOES IT STILL WORK (ON AND OFF)? I'VE READ IN SOME OF THE FORUMS THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF HONDA CIVIC 2008 OWNERS HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. IS THERE A RECALL OR CLASS-ACTION COMPLAINT ABOUT THIS? IS THERE A FIX WHERE YOU DON'T NEED TO SPEND TONS OF MONEY ON IT? *TR

CAR MADE AN INTERMITTENT HIGH-PITCHED WHINING NOISE. I NOTICED THE ENGINE TEMPERATURE INDICATOR WAS IN THE RED. THERE WAS A SMELL OF BURNT ANTI-FREEZE. CHECKING THE RADIATOR AND RADIATOR RESERVOIR SHOWED THERE WAS NO COOLANT. HAD TO PUT WATER IN THE RADIATOR AND RESERVOIR TO DRIVE BACK HOME. MECHANIC AND DEALERSHIP CONFIRMED THAT THE ENGINE BLOCK WAS CRACKED CAUSING ALL THE COOLANT TO LEAK OUT. THE ENGINE BLOCK HAS TO BE REPLACED. FORTUNATELY I WAS MADE AWARE THAT HONDA WILL COVER THIS MANUFACTURING DEFECT AND MY COST SHOULD BE ZERO. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HONDA CIVIC. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT SUCCESSFULLY MANEUVERED THE VEHICLE TO THE SHOULDER BUT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESTART. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE MOTOR OVERHEATED AND SEIZED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 65,000.

FIRST THING THIS MORNING I TRIED TO SET MY CRUISE CONTROL AT 65 MPH, BUT IT DIDN'T WORK. THE SPEED OF THE CAR KEPT DECREASING, DESPITE SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO SET THE CRUISE. I TURNED OFF THE CRUISE AND TRIED TO PRESS THE GAS PEDAL TO DRIVE, AND THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED. IN ADDITION, AS I TRIED TO INCREASE MY SPEED, THE CAR MADE A LOUD HUMMING SOUND AND THE RPMS ON THE DASH BEGAN TO INCREASE. THEN AN INDICATOR LIGHT TURNED ON; AFTER DRIVING FOR A FEW MINUTES, MORE INDICATOR LIGHTS CAME ON, MY BRAKE STOPPED WORKING COMPLETELY, AND MY STEERING WHEEL LOCKED. MY GAS PEDAL ALSO STOPPED WORKING COMPLETELY. AT THIS POINT, AS I WAS GOING UPHILL I LOST COMPLETE CONTROL OF THE CAR AND PUT THE CAR IN PARK BECAUSE THAT WAS THE ONLY WAY I COULD STOP THE CAR. SMOKE BEGAN COMING FROM THE HOOD. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE MIDAS IN SALT LAKE CITY AT 875 EAST 2100 SOUTH. THE SERVICE PEOPLE TOLD ME THE CARS ENGINE HAD HEATED SO THAT IT MELTED THE EQUIPMENT UNDER THE HOOD. LATER, AFTER A DISCUSSION WITH THE HONDA CORPORATE OFFICE, I FOUND OUT A RECALL HAD BEEN ISSUED IN AUGUST 2010 FOR A PROBLEM WITH THE ENGINE BLOCKS OF 2006, 2008, AND SOME 2009 CIVICS. THE HONDA REPRESENTATIVE SAID A LETTER HAD BEEN SENT TO CIVIC OWNERS. HOWEVER, MY EXPERIENCE TODAY SHOWED ME THE SERIOUSNESS OF THIS PROBLEM. I COULD HAVE A LIFE-THREATENING ACCIDENT TODAY, AND WHEN THE ISSUE IS SO GRAVE HONDA SHOULD CALL CAR OWNERS TO ALERT THEM TO THE RECALL. A LETTER SENT OUT ONE TIME IS NOT ENOUGH. THE MIDAS SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES TOLD ME THEY HAD ABSOLUTELY NO INFORMATION ABOUT THIS RECALL IN THEIR DATABASE, WHICH PROVES HOW POORLY THIS ENTIRE MATTER HAS BEEN HANDLED. THERE ARE MANY FAMILIES OUT THERE DRIVING THESE CIVICS. GET YOUR CARS CHECKED OUT, AND LET HONDA KNOW THAT THEY MUST TAKE BETTER CARE AND FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR CUSTOMERS! *TR

1. I HAD ALL RECOMMENDED SERVICE, INCLUDING OIL CHANGES, PERFORMED ON MY 2008 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID SINCE I PURCHASED IT NEW, WITH RECEIPTS TO PROVE THIS, AND NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT. 2. THE ENGINE FAILED CATASTROPHICALLY, WITH NO ALERT OR WARNING LIGHT, ON A HIGHWAY AT 55MPH DURING RUSH-HOUR TRAFFIC. 3. THE FAILED ENGINE WAS REPLACED WITH A USED ENGINE, AS RECOMMENDED BY THE HONDA SERVICE LOCATION WHERE I HAD THE CAR TOWED. THE SERVICE MANAGER NEVER PROVIDED AN EXPLANATION OF WHAT DID OR MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED, AND HE REPORTED THAT EVERYTHING ABOUT THE ENGINE SEEMED APPROPRIATE EXCEPT FOR THE FACT THAT IT HAD "SEIZED". HONDA PROVIDED NO FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE, BECAUSE THE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED, OFFERED NO EXPLANATION OR UNDERSTANDING, SEVERAL TIMES SPOKE UNPROFESSIONAL AND, THEREFORE, LOST A CUSTOMER. *KB